Giuseppe Filitti
Giuseppe Edward "Strong Arm Joe" Filitti (born May 6, 1938 - January 18, 2019) was an Italian-American mobster and the former boss of the St. Louis Chapter. Early Life Giuseppe Edward Filitti was born on May 6, 1938 in Boulevard Heights, St. Louis to Neapolitan immigrant parents Eduardo and Giovanna (nee Amici). He was the youngest of two brothers, Lawrence Filitti (d. 2007), a former acting consigliere, and Albert Filitti, a St. Louis Chapter associate and suspected made member. Filitti attended high school but never college. While Filitti was in high school, he met his future wife, Antonia Barbaro. It was around this time that Filitti started working for the St. Louis Chapter, the local powerful La Cosa Nostra family. He worked for both Vincent Donato and Gerard Iabella, the boss of the Indianapolis family who worked closely with the Chapter. Very quickly, he earned a reputation for strength and brutality. His way of enforcing for the two families earned him the nickname "Strong Arm Joe". In 1971, Filitti was inducted as a full made member of the St. Louis Chapter under boss Edward Bombido. St. Louis Driving Power 'Captain' In 1978, Filitti was made a captain in the Chapter and given his own crew to run. He organized a meeting between family boss George Romano, Gerard Iabella, Detroit boss John Cianspardo, and Marco Fellini, a powerful New York boss. The meeting's purpose was to organize a deal for casino skimming in Las Vegas. After the defunction of the Las Vegas crime family due to indictments and imprisonments, the city was considered open territory to powerful families to conduct their illegimate businesses. During the meeting, the four bosses made contact with the owners of the four most successful casino owners in all of Vegas. The Chapter was given control of the Circus Circus casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Filitti helped make contact with George Chapplin, the owner of the casino. When given the proposition, Chapplin denied the offer and threatened to expose the bosses and their associates to the authorities. Two days later, Chapplin went missing from his Los Angeles condo. The family then replaced him with St. Louis bookmaker Charles "Chuckie" Strauss. 'Consigliere' In 1990, consigliere Peter Verdito went into retirement after serving as Joseph Lirale's advisor for three years. He contemplated promoting his younger brother Frank into the position but then decided on promoting Filitti to this spot. In 1993, Filitti was sentenced to 4 months in prison for tax evasion. Boss In 1998, after longtime boss of sixteen years, Joseph Lirale, died of natural causes, powerful street boss Benjamin "Benny" Bombido (distant cousin of Edward Bombido) was promoted to boss. Filitti remained a close ally and advisor to the newly crowned boss Bombido. Two years later, due to failing health, Bombido stepped down as the boss of the family and gave the long-awaited position to his advisor and consigliere Giuseppe Filitti. Bombido became Filitti's consigliere. Five years later, Benjamin Bombido died of brain cancer after a 10-month fight. Filitti brought his oldest brother Lawrence "Larry" Filitti, a longtime captain into the position of acting consigliere. During this time in 2006, Filitti was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the missing case of George Chapplin. He was released due to lack of evidence. In 2007, Filitti's acting consigliere ''and brother Lawrence Filitti died of natural causes. Filitti promoted Italian-born hitman Amedeo Gioccioloco to the spot of advisor. As of the beginning of March 2015, FBI and St. Louis authorities have observed that Filitti has moved to Florida away from mob activity and promoted his street boss Rudolph Scicilo to boss. '''Salvatore Gallo incident' In November of 2014, Filitti promoted longtime captain and highly respected member Rudolph Scicilo to the position of street boss after Anthony Lirale's semi-retirement. Scicilo promoted his loyal right-hand man 57-year old Arthur "Artie" Gallo to the spot of captain. Arthur Gallo's brother, 55-year old brother Salvatore "Big Sal" instantly felt jealousy and spite for his brother whom he deemed inferior to his earning abilities. To make matters worse, Filitti handed most of Salvatore's operations to his brother. Salvatore Gallo lost all control of his actions and on December 13, 2014 he waited for his brother Arthur outside of his St. Louis Hills home and shot him five times, which one bullet entering his thigh, and four others entering his chest. Salvatore then fled from the scene as Arthur's was escorted to the hospital. Arthur Gallo arrived to the hospital in a severe coma. Afterwards, Salvatore Gallo went into hiding from the furious family. He hadn't made any contact with anyone except for his wife the whole time. After about a month of hiding, Salvatore Gallo's body was found in the middle of the street on the morning of January 10, 2015. He had duct tape over his mouth and was shot once in the leg and once in the back of the head. It was determined he was murdered the night before on January 9. Andrew Cortese On January 27, 2015, 18 days after Salvatore Gallo's murder, Gallo's nephew 25-year old Andrew Cortese left his home and drove to a private social club that was frequented by known mobsters. He pulled out a handgun and fired 15 shots in a window directed at Filitti and street boss Rudolph Scicilo, who were seen to order the murder. The two were able to get down and were not injured, but 55-year old mob soldier Angelo Balate was killed with two shots to the chest and mob associate Giacomo Capadamone was also injured but not critical. On January 28, 2015, Cortese disappeared from his St. Louis apartment. Death Filitti died of heart failure on January 18, 2019 in Tampa Bay, Florida, where he had retired to.